Super-specialty hospital at Chamiyana inaugurated

Shimla, September 28

Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur inaugurated Atal Super-Specialty Medical Institute at Chamiyana on the outskirts of the city today. Built at a cost of Rs 262 crore, the hospital will house 10 super-specialty departments, which will be shifted here from Indira Gandhi Medical College and Hospital, Shimla. Besides, the Chief Minister laid the foundation stone of a Critical Care Block and an Advanced Diagnostic Centre at the hospital. These two facilities will be constructed at a cost of Rs 25 crore and Rs 42 crore, respectively.

Facilities for patients

• 10 super specialty departments like neurology, cardiology, nephrology, urology, endocrinology, plastic surgery, gastroenterology
• 50 ICUs and 280 normal beds having centralised supply of oxygen. Nine operation theatres and two cath labs facilities
• Neurosurgery, kidney transplant and urology procedures, including laparoscopic surgery and lithotripsy services

The super-specialty hospital, which is the first stand-alone facility of its kind in the state, will give a big boost to healthcare in the state. However, there are a couple of issues that need to be addressed before the hospital rolls out services smoothly to patients. The biggest hurdle at the moment is the approach road to the hospital – almost half of the around 3-4 km long stretch is a mud track. At some points, it’s quite narrow and the gradient is quite steep.

The PWD is pursuing the FCA approval for widening and metalling the road but the approval hasn’t come yet. “Until the road is approved and widened, HRTC bus service won’t start to the hospital. The patients as well as staff will face problems in reaching the hospital,” said an official.

The other issue, highlighted by the Chief Minister himself, is the lack of residential facility for healthcare staff on the campus. “We will need to provide residential facility to the staff soon as daily commuting will take up a lot of time. We will need to plan for this,” the CM said.

Also, nursing staff and para medical staff is yet to be appointed in adequate strength. “The inauguration of the hospital will speed up the efforts to address these issues,” said a senior doctor.

Meanwhile, the Chief Minister said his government was determined to strengthen the health infrastructure in the state. “On October 5, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate AIIMS Bilaspur. Also, a satellite centre of the PGI was being set up at Una at a cost of Rs. 450 crore,” said Thakur.